1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a protective cap which frustrates removal by children and the like, and, more specifically, to a safety cap which is readily opened by persons lacking strength and dexterity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While prescription medicines and household cleansers can be very beneficial when used as directed, they are often poisonous or even fatal when ingested by small children. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a lockable cap for containers of such cleansers and prescriptions to prevent access to the contents of the container by unattended small children. Competing with the desirability of preventing children from having easy access to such containers, is the desirability of allowing easy access by older persons or handicapped persons who may lack either the strength or dexterity to open containers provided with safety caps of the prior art.
Prior art safety caps are generally one of two types. The first type is a "snap-on" cap which has an interior flange. The interior cap flange snaps onto a flange provided around the exterior of the bottle neck. The exterior flange is provided with a break to accommodate a boss which is located on the interior of the cap. The exterior of the cap is provided with an arrow indicating the position of the boss. The bottle neck is provided with an arrow which indicates the break in the bottle neck flange.
Due to the size of the boss, it is extremely difficult to force the boss over the bottleneck flange and remove the cap. Accordingly, when it is desired to remove the cap, the arrows are lined up and the cap may be removed by moving the boss past the break in the bottle neck flange. While this type of protective closure works well at preventing inadvertent or undesired opening by a small child, the closure causes difficulty for persons lacking the strength and/or dexterity to remove the cap.
The second type of protective closure involves a dual cap having an interior portion and an exterior portion. In the typical embodiment, the top exterior of the interior portion and the top interior of the exterior portion are provided with catches and grooves. These catches and grooves provide for torque transfer between the exterior portion and interior portion when the cap is being tightened. When the cap is being loosened, the torque transfer is accomplished only when the cap is being forced downward while being rotated. Again, while this type of protective cap prevents undesired access to the container by small children, the cap is difficult to remove for persons lacking strength or dexterity. This is especially true if the cap becomes overtightened.
Although the above-described devices are adapted to provide access to a container by adults, while preventing access by children, none of these devices allow for access by people possessing only minimal dexterity and/or strength. The present invention is designed to prevent container access by small children while allowing access to adults having only minimal dexterity or strength.